Bright, Young & Luxe- Lina: Love or Hate Her?

It's day 5 of Bright, Young, & Luxe and that means we're discussing another controversial character: Lina Broud!

Lina: Love or Hate Her?

By Tiffany @ For Those About to Read...

Most people don’t like Lina, and I don’t blame them. I flat-out hated Lina for 75% of the series—she was jealous, spiteful, and manipulative. She lied to countless people, she essentially ruined Diana’s life through her alliance with Penelope, and she treated her sister terribly. For the first three books, I think I even got angry every time I had to read from Lina’s perspective.

However in Splendor, the last book in the Luxe series, something changed. I suddenly felt sympathy for Lina despite the fact that I didn’t even like her. I mean—she forced her sister to watch her wedding as a spectating servant. Who does that? So why in the world did I feel bad for someone who did so many blatantly crappy things?

I felt bad for her because she wanted more out of life, and unfortunately given the time period the only way she could achieve her goals was to lie her way to the top. I really admire ambition, so I can respect Lina’s desire for more—even though I completely disagree with how she went about it. I also cried my eyes out when her fiancée called off the wedding (although who could blame him). Lina’s lies finally caught up with her, and he couldn’t be expected to marry someone who had lied to him for the entirety of their relationship. Lina finally got everything she ever wanted, and then her world came crashing down.

Given all the heartache Lina experienced in Splendor and how sympathetic her character became, I was very happy when I read that Lina and her sister finally had a joyous ending with each other. Lina was able to be truer to herself than she had in a long time and enjoy the lifestyle she coveted with her sister.

Where do you fall on the Lina love/hate scale?

LC's Take: Ugh. I really couldn't stand Lina haha! I mean, yes, there were certain points throughout the series where I did feel sorry for her, just because she managed to get in way over her head. She was just so incredibly ruthless and back-stabbing, and I mean, really, how bad was her life as a maid in the Holland household? It's not like they beat her or starved her or anything, and her sister worked there too!

And that's the other thing-- of all the horrible things Lina did to scrape her way to the top, abandoning her sister and making her sister be her maid was the worst. Did the girl have no conscience? That really bothered me. I did feel bad for her when the guy she honestly did like a lot had to let her go after finding out who she really was. But then I guess things turned out for her pretty well in the end. Did she deserve it? Meh, not really, but I'm glad she got to finally share in her happiness with her sister, someone who knew her for who she truly was. Maybe she wasn't all that bad in the end, but she definitely angered me throughout most of the series!